Chapter 455: Would That This Body Might Long Serve the State in Repayment — What Need to Return Alive Through the Jade Gate?

Li Shengtian and his two sons were having a heart-to-heart, and Zhang Zhao was in fact not asleep either.

There were some things Li Shengtian could not explain too plainly to Li Congde, or Li Congde might well start entertaining other ideas.

But Zhang Zhao could see it, and this was also Li Shengtian's open scheme.

This imperial uncle of his, the Son of Heaven, was weak in war but strong in politics, and his vision was far-sighted; with Cao Yuanxing's help besides, he had long since seen through the pros and cons.

One could say that from beginning to end, Li Shengtian never had any intention of seizing Anxi.

Because he knew it would be meaningless. If Zhang Zhao could not enter the Central Plains, he would have no ability to rule Anxi at all, so there would be no question of seizing it or not — Zhang Zhao would simply never come to contend with him for it.

And if Zhang Zhao did enter the Central Plains, then he would be even less able to seize Anxi.

Because in the eyes of this age, to say nothing of the mighty Han and Tang, even regimes like the Northern Wei and the Di-led Former Qin, once they had a hand free, would all move to recover the Western Regions.

If Zhang Zhao unified the realm, with his abilities, how could he possibly ignore the Western Regions?

As Li Shengtian said, those who in former years thought to defy the Celestial Dynasty with a few cities in Anxi had long since died beyond death.

And without recovering the Western Regions, how could a Son of Heaven of the Central Plains claim to have unified the realm with the golden bowl unbroken?

Therefore, rather than wait until that time and turn kin into enemies, it was better to hand it over now.

Moreover, this handing over was only nominal. Once Zhang Zhao left, the Western Regions would basically be watched over for Zhang Zhao by Li Shengtian.

Although the men Zhang Zhao left behind — Li Ruoyu, Chen Huiyao, and even Li Shengtian's son-in-law Cao Yanlu — would not obey him in everything.

But Li Shengtian after all held the moral high ground. In these ten years, was it not perfectly normal to place the sons and grandsons of the Li family in various places as minor city lords and enclose a few more manors and fields?

When Zhang Zhao's gaze returned to Anxi, if he stripped the Li descendants of their power and recalled them to the Central Plains, they would surely receive high office, generous salary, noble rank, and favored estates, would they not?

Would that not be more comfortable than being a petty king in Anxi?

If he did not strip them, then with the Li descendants as a foundation, advancing westward side by side, a Xia lord over Yi subjects —

would the Li descendants not gain three or five small vassal states? Would that not be far better than holding Khotan and contending against the Central Plains?

And with the Li family so loyal to the Great Dynasty, who could still regard them as outer barbarians? They could even marry into the Zhang imperial clan for generations and endure together with the state.

If the descendants proved worthy, they would be great kings of vassal states abroad; if unworthy, they would retire to the Central Plains as ennobled favorites and enjoy all the wealth and honor of the mortal world.

Thinking of it this way, even Zhang Zhao felt like living such a life.

And thinking of all this, Zhang Zhao also began to feel perfectly at ease about drawing on the supplies and arms of the Khotan Golden Kingdom.

Li Shengtian was simply hitching a ride on his cart, making an investment with an extremely high probability of enormous profit.

Thirteen days later, the temple built on the site of the former Anxi Four Garrisons Military Governor's headquarters was completed.

The great hall was divided into an east hall and a west hall. No gods or Buddhas were enshrined within; what was enshrined were heroes and worthies, all with names and surnames, who had opened up Anxi and Beiting.

The east hall was the main hall, enshrining the heroes of the Anxi and Beiting Tang armies, headed by Guo Xin, Military Governor of the Anxi Four Garrisons and Prince of Weiwu Commandery, and Li Yuanzhong, Military Governor of Yixi Beiting and Prince of Ningsai Commandery.

There were a full sixty-seven of them. All above the rank of Commandant whose names and deeds could be found were enshrined.

In addition, over a thousand spirit tablets were still being made. These were the Tang soldiers of all peoples in Anxi and Beiting whose names could be traced.

Enshrining spirit statues for them all would certainly not fit, so only spirit tablets could be made.

The west hall was the accompanying hall, enshrining the heroes who had shed their blood in the land of Kucha over the centuries.

Moreover, when the spirit statues were being brought into the two halls, Zhang Zhao made a distinction in the treatment.

For the east hall, the statues were brought in mainly by the descendants of the Anxi sons of Tang and the soldiers of the Jin and Liang states, with a solemn and sorrowful ceremony, and then the statues were installed.

But when it came to bringing in the statues of the west hall, Zhang Zhao ordered that all the more than forty thousand people of Kucha city be gathered.

Dense and packed, together with the soldiers of the Liang and Jin states, they filled both sides of the road from Kucha's north gate to the temple.

On the square before the temple, no fewer than seven or eight thousand people had gathered.

Zhang Zhao stood on the left, Li Shengtian on the right. This was Li Shengtian's own request, to highlight Zhang Zhao's status.

Imperial uncle and Son of Heaven — what was honored was not the words "Son of Heaven," but the words "imperial uncle."

"First, we invite the Han Dynasty's Marquis of Yiyang, Lord Fu Jiezi!" With Zhang Zhao's great shout, the several hundred human megaphones he had arranged at once carried the voice to all four directions.

In that year, Fu Jiezi had gone as an envoy to Dayuan in the capacity of Horse Supervisor. On the return journey, the King of Kucha slighted them, and signs appeared that he was about to waver. Fu Jiezi asked the local people of Kucha and only then learned that Xiongnu envoys had arrived.

So that very night, Fu Jiezi led the accompanying Han troops and killed the Xiongnu envoys, forcing the King of Kucha to dare not waver again.

He was the first Han hero to win merit and establish his name in Kucha, so Zhang Zhao placed his spirit statue first.

"Wind!" As the spirit statue passed, the three armies struck their hengdao sabers, metal and iron ringing together, and shouted "Wind!" with a great cry.

"Second, we invite the Han Dynasty's Marquis of Changluo, Duke Zhuangwu, Chang Hui!"

Chang Hui was a fierce man of the Western Han under Emperor Wu, Emperor Zhao, and Emperor Xuan. He had once served as deputy envoy to Su Wu and was detained by the Xiongnu together with Su Wu for nineteen years. By the northern sea, he drank snow when thirsty and swallowed felt when hungry, his resolve never wavering.

After returning to his country, Emperor Xuan of Han ordered Chang Hui to go as envoy to Wusun bearing the imperial staff. In the name of protecting Princess Jieyou, he commanded fifty thousand Wusun troops together with the Han army to strike the Xiongnu from five routes.

In the end, this battle was a complete victory. The Wusun army alone captured the Xiongnu Chanyu's paternal uncle, his father's younger brother, as well as his sister-in-law, sisters, daughters, princes of various tribes, nobles, and more than thirty-nine thousand people in all.

They seized more than fifty thousand horses, cattle, donkeys, mules, and camels, and more than six hundred thousand sheep — over seven hundred thousand head of livestock in total.

When Chang Hui returned to his country, it happened that the King of Kucha had killed Lai Dan, the Han Dynasty's garrison colonel and prince of the Wumi kingdom, and had gone unpunished.

So with the support of the famous minister Huo Guang, Chang Hui gave a single order and mobilized tens of thousands of troops to prepare an attack.

The King of Kucha was so frightened that he killed the chief culprit Gu Yi to apologize. Thereafter Kucha was at peace, and the King of Kucha even married the daughter of Princess Jieyou and the King of Wusun, and from then on was utterly submissive to the Han Dynasty.

"Third, we invite the Later Han's Marquis of Dingyuan, Lord Ban Chao!"

The third invited was Ban Chao, Ban Dingyuan. This needs no explanation: Ban Dingyuan pacified the distant Western Regions, and a great half of his achievements centered on Kucha — after all, Kucha was then the greatest power in the Western Regions.

"Third, we invite the Sage Carriage of the Great Liang's Emperor Yiwu!"

The Great Liang's Emperor Yiwu was the founding emperor of the Later Liang, Emperor Taizu of Liang, Lu Guang.

In former years, the Former Qin Heavenly King Fu Jian sent Lu Guang to recover the Western Regions. The Battle of Kucha was precisely Lu Guang's battle of fame — one battle that made dozens of states in the Western Regions submit in awe.

"Fourth, we invite the Northern Wei's Duke of Chengzhou, Wan Dugui!"

Wan Dugui was a general under Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei. By Emperor Taiwu's command, he attacked and took Kucha, brought dozens of Western Regions states to submission, and brought the Western Regions into the Northern Wei's domain.

"Fifth, we invite the Great Dynasty's Duke of Bi, Yuan Gong, Ashina She'er!"

Ashina She'er was precisely the meritorious minister of the Tang dynasty's reconquest of the Western Regions, especially Kucha. The Great Tang's administration of Anxi began with him.

"The sixth is the Great Dynasty's Duke of Geng, Wang Xiaojie."

Although Wang Xiaojie died in rather humiliating circumstances, after Wu Zetian madly abandoned the Four Garrisons of Anxi, he was still able to recover them and re-establish the Protector-General's office in Kucha — his merit was absolutely immense!

These were the six spirit tablets that Zhang Zhao had placed in the western hall for accompanying sacrifice.

In fact, to call it "accompanying sacrifice" is still not quite accurate. It should be said that the eastern hall's Anxi Army carried a note of sorrowful remembrance, while these six in the western hall were the true focus of the rites.

Because even someone like Wang Xiaojie, whose fame was comparatively obscure, would be a peerless general of his age in any dynasty.

To say nothing of divine figures like Fu Jiezi, Ban Dingyuan, and Chang Hui.

Every time Zhang Zhao called out, tens of thousands of soldiers struck their weapons and roared a single word: "Wind!"

By the time the ceremony was nearly over, the crowd's emotions had been stirred to a pitch. Several thousand iron-clad, ferocious warriors roaring in unison — that was not something ordinary men could withstand.

At first the surrendered Kucha officials could still stand, but later they could not help themselves and knelt down.

Seeing the crowd prostrate, Zhang Zhao raised the wine bowl in his hands above his head, and tens of thousands of soldiers pointed their weapons toward the sky.

"The Han banners fill the Yin Mountains; not a single barbarian horseman shall return.

Would that this body might long serve the nation — why need I enter the Jade Gate Pass alive?"

When Zhang Zhao finished roaring, the soldiers roared in unison: "Would that this body might long serve the nation — why need I enter the Jade Gate Pass alive?"

"Now that the great vengeance is achieved and the Four Garrisons recovered! From Lord Guo Xin down, all you heroic spirits of Anxi and Beiting, rest in peace! In the netherworld below, bless the Han-Tang heroic spirit to endure forever in this land!"

With that, Zhang Zhao poured the fine wine in his hand onto the earth before the shrine.

"Wind! Wind! Wind! Wind!" The mood soared even higher, and inside and outside the city, tens of thousands knelt down.

Zhang Zhao raised his hand high again, and the soldiers' shouts immediately ceased. Zhang Zhao pointed at the Kucha chieftains and great clan leaders kneeling at the very front.

"You must remember this: this shrine is where the Han heroes and martyrs reside. At the four seasons and eight festivals, sacrifices shall never cease. Men pass in silence; beasts pass with bells removed.

On the first and fifteenth of every month, all officials and commoners shall bow in solemn reverence, with no lapse in propriety.

Let it be known to all peoples within and without: if this shrine suffers any damage whatsoever, a hundred thousand heavenly troops will come east at once, and under the thunderbolt all shall be ground to dust."

The Uyghur chieftains of the various Kucha tribes hastily pressed their heads to the ground. One elder answered in a trembling voice: "The Central Plains is the maternal uncle; we are the nephews. We would never dare defy the wishes of our uncle."

In truth, these people understood that although Zhang Zhao's words were frightening, he had actually been extremely lenient toward the people of Kucha.

Upon entering the city, he had only taken goods and wealth as usual and punished those who resisted. There had been no plunder or rape, and not a single person had been wantonly killed.

An army that could behave this way after breaching a city — there was no second one to be found anywhere under heaven.

Only when he heard the elder speak thus did Zhang Zhao hand him the wine bowl.

The elder received the wine bowl, raised it high, lifted his head, and petitioned Zhang Zhao: "I beg the Heavenly King to permit this old man to enshrine this bowl at the great Cakuri Temple outside the city, to overawe those who harbor ill intent."

"Granted! You may also rest assured: as long as you remain content and law-abiding, if bandits come, the heavenly troops will exterminate them. If foreign enemies come, the heavenly troops will strike them. Harbor no disloyalty, and you shall be guaranteed peace for ten thousand years!"

When Zhang Zhao finished, the assembled Uyghurs, Basmyls, Tiele, Sogdians, Tocharians, and others were all greatly delighted.

After prostrating themselves once more, handsome men and beautiful women sang and danced in celebration, and presented Zhang Zhao with camel meat and fine wine.

The hearts of the Kucha people were thus settled.

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